Food Pyramid Not Supported by Science

I swear, I'm going to take a nap after this, but this is an interesting study. Critical of mainstream nutritional thought which always gets my attention.

Here's the abstract from the The International Journal of Applied and Basic Nutritional Sciences.

"Concerns that were raised with the first dietary recommendations 30 y ago have yet to be adequately addressed. The initial Dietary Goals for Americans (1977) proposed increases in carbohydrate intake and decreases in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt consumption that are carried further in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report. Important aspects of these recommendations remain unproven, yet a dietary shift in this direction has already taken place even as overweight/obesity and diabetes have increased.

Although appealing to an evidence-based methodology, the DGAC Report demonstrates several critical weaknesses, including use of an incomplete body of relevant science; inaccurately representing, interpreting, or summarizing the literature; and drawing conclusions and/or making recommendations that do not reflect the limitations or controversies in the science.

An objective assessment of evidence in the DGAC Report does not suggest a conclusive proscription against low-carbohydrate diets. The DGAC Report does not provide sufficient evidence to conclude that increases in whole grain and fiber and decreases in dietary saturated fat, salt, and animal protein will lead to positive health outcomes.

Lack of supporting evidence limits the value of the proposed recommendations as guidance for consumers or as the basis for public health policy. It is time to reexamine how US dietary guidelines are created and ask whether the current process is still appropriate for our needs."

Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

We wonder why people are fatter than ever? Because they keep listening to the experts who tell them to eat carbs and cut fat.

Then doctors smack the obese around with the old 'personal responsibility' stick to their face during appointments and on their blogs, as the general public cheers them on.

When history looks back on this time period, it will not have good things to say about how medicine interpreted or implemented nutritional science. Nor about how the obese were treated.